International

JUBA, South Sudan — On the last full day of his trip to Africa, Pope Francis met with the displaced South Sudanese who have borne the brunt of the conflict he came to help resolve by issuing blunt and insistent calls for leaders to get serious about peace. “I am with here you, and I suffer for you and with you,” Francis said at Freedom Hall in Juba, the capital, to hundreds of people who, like millions of South Sudanese, lived what he called the “common and collective experience” of living in sprawling camps for displaced people. Calling South Sudan the “greatest enduring refugee crisis on the continent,” afflicted with widespread hunger, especially for women and children, he lamented the war, ethnic strife, violence against women and floods aggravated by climate change that had put them in danger and uprooted them from their traditions and cultures. But while Francis, who visited the Democratic Republic of Congo earlier in the week, has used all of his leverage, moral capital … [Read more...] about Hopes for Peace in South Sudan Are Pinned on a Papal Visit

WASHINGTON — Bilal al-Sudani was no stranger to American counterterrorism officials. Before joining the Islamic State affiliate in Somalia, Mr. al-Sudani was subjected to punitive sanctions by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2012 for his involvement with Al Shabab, Al Qaeda’s branch in the East African country. But it wasn’t until American officials started digging deeper into the background of another Islamic State branch, the one in Afghanistan that had carried out the deadly bombing at Kabul’s international airport in August 2021, that analysts fully realized Mr. al-Sudani oversaw a sprawling ISIS financial and logistical network across Africa, Europe and Afghanistan. Mr. al-Sudani’s newly revealed role as the financier for the ISIS branch responsible for the death of 13 U.S. service members in Kabul rocketed him to the top ranks of U.S. counterterrorism kill-or-capture lists, senior American officials said. Last week, commandos from the Navy’s SEAL Team 6 killed him in an … [Read more...] about Ties to Kabul Bombing Put ISIS Leader in Somalia in U.S. Cross Hairs

WASHINGTON — As far as spy capers go, this one unfolded pretty slowly: A giant Chinese spy balloon air-dawdled its way toward the Eastern Seaboard for several days until it was blown out of the sky on Saturday by the U.S. military . The lumbering orb, drifting at about 60,000 feet, did nothing to ease the tension between the United States and China, but the timing of it all seemed right for obsessing. It was a cold couple of days in February. People had time to think up some questions. Could it be shot down? Should it be shot down? Wasn’t there some other runaway balloon, years ago, with a kid inside it? Can that be right? Anyway, what does it say about us that we are so fixated on mysterious floating objects? As it turns out, there are people who think deeply about this sort of thing. Greg Garrett, a professor who teaches literature, pop culture and theology at Baylor University, says humans are hard-wired to be threatened by things that we don’t recognize. “As … [Read more...] about Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a … Chinese Spy Balloon?

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email It’s been three years since we left the European Union – and three years since barriers to commerce with our largest trading partner were put in place. With Brexit, Britain entered into the first trade deal in history that increased friction, rather than reduced it. Small businesses are now entangled in red tape , making it harder for the NHS and care homes to get the staff they need, and preventing UK scientists from accessing vital funding for their research. Threats to break international law over the Northern Ireland Protocol have not been withdrawn – a remarkable decision given the need to work closely with our allies and partners in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Retained EU Law Bill is being brought forward, which – despite its rather dry title – threatens to rip up many of the high-quality standards and … [Read more...] about How to rebuild our relationship with Europe after Brexit

A suspected Chinese spy balloon may be harder to shoot down than it would appear because of their "survivable" nature, according to military research. However, analysts say hitting one is easy but the difficulty stems from controlling its crash landing. China has said it was looking into reports about the spy balloon and said that it had no wish to violate U.S. airspace, while Chinese experts have pointed the finger at America. A senior U.S. defense official said the Pentagon had "very high confidence" that it was a Chinese balloon surveilling sensitive sites in the U.S ., according to the Associated Press. The high-altitude balloon—which the U.S. has been tracking over its airspace for a few days— was sighted on Wednesday over Billings, Montana , and is believed to have travelled over western Canada and Alaska. The Pentagon has decided not to shoot it down over safety concerns for people on the ground. 'Inherently Stealthy' According to a 2009 research paper on … [Read more...] about Shooting down Chinese spy balloon a lot harder than it seems

A convention aimed at eliminating landmine usage is raising concerns about the alleged application of them by Ukraine. The war-torn nation is among the 164 member states of The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention. If a report released this week by Human Rights Watch (HRW) is true, it would mean that Ukraine is not in full compliance with the treaty, the convention said in a Friday news release . Thomas Göbel, convention president and German ambassador to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, said the ban on these mines "must be respected" by all nations in "times of war as in peace." " We therefore take seriously a report by Human Rights Watch about the alleged use of anti-personnel mines by members of the Ukrainian armed forces," Göbel said. Ukraine has said it "has always demonstrated its readiness for cooperation" with … [Read more...] about Landmine treaty seeks answers after Ukraine’s alleged use of banned mines

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine draws closer to the one-year mark, Russian media pundits are still debating exactly what a victory for Moscow would look like. In a video shared Friday on Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Chechen general Apti Alaudinov—who in March led troops of what Russia called volunteers from Chechnya to Ukraine—joined the host of Russia-1's "60 Minutes" to talk about the situation on the battleground in Ukraine. Alaudinov, who was awarded with the title of commander of the special Akhmat forces and "Hero of Russia" last August, joined the show after appearing in a self-shot video from a snowy Ukraine. He speaks of the war in Ukraine as one that can only end "with Russia ceasing to exist or with the NATO bloc ceasing to exist in the format it has up until now." Alaudinov adds that he doesn't believe the Russian leadership will agree to a peace that doesn't include the end of NATO as we know it. … [Read more...] about Russian state TV can’t decide what Ukraine victory would look like

Russian state TV presenter Sergey Mardan praised North Korea for threatening to use nuclear weapons against the United States during a Friday night broadcast amid the Ukraine war. After Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last February, state TV pundits have repeatedly taunted the West, which has largely condemned Moscow's military actions, over the potential use of nuclear weapons that would greatly escalate the conflict between the two Eastern European nations. The latest nuclear remarks came Friday night when Mardan celebrated North Korea for being "independent" in global affairs, as well as for its President Kim Jong-un's nuclear threats. Video of the discussion was posted to Twitter by BBC journalist Francis Scarr on Saturday morning. "For them, independence is an absolute value for which they are prepared to do anything, including turning the whole world into dust," Mardan said. "That's to say, when King Jong-un said back when Trump was … [Read more...] about Russian propagandist praises North Korea’s nuclear threats against U.S.

Germany has collected evidence of Russia's war crimes reaching the "three-digit range," German Prosecutor General Peter Frank warned. Frank spoke to Welt am Sonntag media outlet on Saturday saying, "Currently, for example, we are focusing on the mass killings in Bucha or attacks against Ukrainian civilian infrastructure." Frank added that Germany is "not yet investigating specific persons, but rather collecting information and evidence," and also questioning Ukrainian refugees who "may have knowledge of war crimes in Ukraine." As of January 28, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office reported Russia has committed 66,743 "crimes of aggression and war crimes." The report also says that 459 children have been killed, and 917 have been injured since the beginning of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Rajan Menon, Director of the Grand Strategy Program at Defense Priorities, told Newsweek on Saturday, "there's no doubt that the Russian army has committed war crimes: I've been to … [Read more...] about Russia’s war crimes reach “three-digit range” Germany warns

A prominent attorney for former President Donald Trump criticized congressional Republicans for their inaction on the suspected Chinese spy balloon that entered American airspace earlier this week. The balloon was first spotted floating above Billings, Montana, on Wednesday, and was later determined to be a "surveillance" device owned by China, raising alarm with many over the ramifications of its presence. Montana happens to be home to the Malmstrom Air Force base , one of the few bases in the United States to house nuclear weapons. China, meanwhile, attempted to downplay the severity of the balloon, insisting that it was a device collecting weather data that got blown off-course. The Pentagon has so far declined to shoot down the balloon, as some have called for , citing the potential risk posed to citizens by debris falling to the ground. Patrick S. Ryder, a spokesman for the Department of Defense (DOD), insisted during a Friday press conference that the balloon … [Read more...] about Trump lawyer slams Republicans’ Chinese spy balloon response